10 South Africans worth following on Twitter

So you may have just joined this thing called Twitter, or you’ve become completely bored with your friends talking about their pets and kids. Looking for some interesting people to talk to on Twitter?

We’ve compiled a list of 10 top South African personalities you should be following on Twitter, and why we think they’re worth it:

Helen Zille: @helenzille
“Aunty Helen” is the Premier of the Western Cape and the leader of the Democratic Alliance, South Africa’s official opposition party. One of the country’s top prolific tweeters, she often interacts with her followers, helps people resolve issues in their community or puts them in their place.

Michael Jordaan: @michaeljordaan
As the CEO of First National Bank, Michael Jordaan has made a tremendous impact on the way we see and use our banks. Even if you don’t bank with FNB, you’ll find the other banks are following his example. The first to introduce a banking app in the country, FNB was also the bank that (finally) introduced PayPal to South Africa. He is someone worth following, and for a banker – even has a sense of humour.

Life is Savage: @lifeissavage
Life is Savage, Cape Town’s ultimate lifestyle blogger, shares with everyone his raw energy — provides everyone with the scoops and gossip with some light-hearted news thrown into the mix. The square pecs and six-pack don’t hurt his female following much either.

Spillly: @spillly
Spillly, with THREE L’s, describes himself as intelligent, dirty, a humorous social media misfit and won’t waste your time. He’s an all-round source of information, with classic business acumen, and a little fun thrown into the mix. Don’t expect boring.

Eusebius McKaiser: ‏@eusebius
Eusebius McKaiser is a talk radio host. Besides the fact that his show is really great to listen to, he brings in great topics on Twitter, is open to talking with people and loves tackling the tough issues most people shy away from. He’s also just published a book and is world public speaking champion.

Khaya Dlanga: @khayadlanga
Khaya Dlanga is another author and opinion-piece writer. His modern take on life in South Africa and his interaction with his followers makes him a firm favourite on the list.

Caspar Lee: @caspar_lee
Caspar Lee has become one of South Africa’s favourite delinquent teenagers. He’s built up a huge international following as a vlogger on YouTube posting weekly videos on his channel. With almost 200 000 followers on Twitter, he’s slightly more famous than the state-owned broadcaster (the SABC), and a lot more fun to follow.

Ryan van Zyl: @concierge_ryan
If you’re living in Cape Town, or even just visiting, you need to be following Ryan. One of only three Golden Key Concierge’s in Africa, Ryan is able to tell you about everything going on in Cape Town. If it’s legal and ethical, and you can afford it, then Ryan can organise it.

Ivo Vegter: @ivovegter
Ivo Vegeter is a popular writer from the Daily Maverick and has a very large and eclectic following. He also has tree-huggers and anti-frackers foaming at the mouth. Whether you think we should be hugging bunnies or building more nuclear reactors to stimulate the economy, at least you should be following him.

Nonhle Thema: @NonhleThema
No list of South African tweeters can be complete without mentioning Nonhle Thema. Some have described her as a B grade version of Paris Hilton — famous for only being famous. While some utterly despise her, she has a huge following, and who knows — you may like her.